THE DAY WE GET TO DEFY GRAVITY

  

The old adage states, "Whatever goes up must come down." But the One who created gravity can and has changed that rule more than once, allowing a few individuals to defy gravity by going straight to heaven in past generations. The grand finale is around the corner; I can't wait! How about you? Will you be a participant?  

For example, the Scripture tells us, "Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him" (Genesis 5:23-24). Then, there was the prophet, Elijah; "And as they {Elijah and Elisha} still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection from the dead. At His ascension, we are told, "He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. … 'Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven the same way you saw him go!'" (Acts 1:9-11).

All these men went up individually, defying gravity! They didn't come down as the adage tells us. But defying gravity is about to change from individual situations to a multitude going up simultaneously; remember, the grand finale is around the corner! The Scripture tells us Jesus will return to escort His children home to heaven; He will come from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Jesus will not land on the earth, but with that commanding shout, many things will happen simultaneously: dead believers will resurrect in their new bodies, believers living at the time will change instantly--the mortal putting on immortality, and together with the resurrected, we will all meet Jesus in the air, and go up to heaven. What a wonderful day that will be! We will be with Him forever; gravity will not be able to hold us back or bring us down.

I am looking forward to that day with excitement because we'll see Jesus and our loved ones from the earth face to face. We will say hello to the streets of gold, the pearly gates, and the mansions that have been prepared for us. We'll leave sin, death, injustice, chaos, and all the headaches of life behind. Heaven will be so beautiful, peaceful, and full of rejoicing; we will wonder how we ever survived on earth all those years.   

Although the grand finale is around the corner, no one knows when; the Scripture says, "No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows" (Matthew 24:36). Although we don't have details of the event date or time, we are admonished to live right and expectantly. The world is not our home; we are just passing through it on our way to our eternal home--heaven. Let's be in a constant state of readiness because we won't have time to get ready when the trumpet sounds. In Jesus' parables, He illustrated the dangers of not staying on guard, for instance: the five foolish virgins who didn't have enough oil for their lamps when the bridegroom arrived and the master who didn't know when the thief was coming (see Matthew 25:1-13; Luke 12:39). He ended that illustration with, "You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Luke 12:40).

His return, therefore, will be unannounced and could take us by surprise unless we are waiting and watching.  

But how do we stay ready? First, make sure our names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Second, live in obedience to God's Word and not live in sin. Third, stay in fellowship with the church and use our gifts to help each other grow in godliness. And finally, get busy with soul-winning; too many people have already perished! Let's make godliness and soul-winning a priority as we look expectantly for our Lord's return. (See 2 Corinthians 13:5; Revelation 20:15; James 1:22; Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 28:19-20).

"He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon!' amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).       

PEOPLE’S RESPONSE TO PREDICTED STORMS

 

 

I find weather forecasting fascinating and impressive. With the use of special instruments, the professionals predict the weather, and every year, they warn residents to prepare, evacuate, or take cover. As we all know, storms can be very destructive; property is damaged or destroyed, but most tragically, lives are lost. It takes time and money to rebuild when a storm is over.

But do people really heed these warnings? Yes and no; some do, but others don’t. Those who don’t heed the warning complain they have nowhere to go or want to tough it out. Those who evacuate return home after the storm to see the loss they have suffered, but their lives are spared. Those in the latter group often end up seriously injured or worse.

There’s another storm coming, known as the Day of the Lord; the warning has been out for years and continues to sound—it is the day that God will punish evil and fulfill His promises to those who trust in the blood of Jesus. People react differently to warning signs. Some people have responded and taken cove; others procrastinate because they think they have time, and there are those who could care less. No matter how individuals feel or answer, the Day of the Lord will come; it will mean different things to different people.

How are you preparing for the inevitable coming storm? If you’ve heard the gospel in the past and chosen to ignore it, don’t ignore it any longer. God is holy, just, and faithful; His Word has never failed and is not going to. His decree is this: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). So if you keep postponing making a decision, you’ll be heading for an eternity without God in hell.

Take cover, my friend! Understand that God hates sin; our sins have separated us from Him. Out of His love for us, He prepared a way to bridge the gap between Him and us. He sent Jesus, His only Son, to take on the punishment we deserve for our sins. However, this is not a blanket offer; each individual has to act on their behalf. Each person has to repent of their sins and ask God for forgiveness based on Jesus’ sacrifice. That’s the only way one can be made right with God and escape His judgment and punishment. The Bible tells us: “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (Romans 3:25).

Are you ready to become a new person in Christ Jesus? God is waiting to hear your call for mercy; call Him before it is too late. After all, no one knows how much longer they have to live in this world. Once you die, you cannot repent; your doom is sealed! Please don’t let that happen to you! Do this today and share this message with others, so they can also escape God’s wrath.

If you made that decision, welcome to the family of God! He has forgiven you and put the Holy Spirit into your heart as confirmation that you are His child. It is also a guarantee: “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people” (Ephesians 1:14).

If you’ve just become a child of God, find a Bible-believing church for fellowship, read your Bible and pray daily. The Holy Spirit will guide and give you an understanding of what you read; obey what it says, and, gradually, you will notice that your way of life is changing (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). You’ll begin to be sensitive to sin, you’ll hate it, and you’ll want to be holy as God is holy. His charge for Christians is: “You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Dear reader, the storm is brewing; I hope you see it! What have you done about it, or what do you plan to do about it? Do it now; the sooner, the better. Time is running out!

 

NEITHER SALVATION NOR GODLINESS CAN BE INHERITED

I have repeatedly heard people say they are Christians because they come from Christian homes or families. It’s a blessing to have that heritage, but that doesn’t make you a Christian. Nobody can inherit Christianity, and no one can live a godly life just because they grew up in a religious home. Nobody’s name gets written in the Lamb’s Book of Life because they have Christian parents or grandparents.

Mankind has a sinful nature inherited from our fore parents as far back as Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Their sin led to a separation between them and God and subsequently between God and us. In short, being separated from God leads to an eternity without God in hell. Each person is personally accountable to God. Nobody can believe in God on another person’s behalf; salvation cannot be inherited or passed on to another.

So, if you are an individual who has been making that claim, you should be asking: “How does one account for themselves?” By doing what your Christian parents did-- they admitted they are sinners because God says so (see Romans 3:23), and they asked for God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His only Son, God’s remedy for sin! The Bible puts it this way--“God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. … He (God) declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26) (Emphasis mine).

Dear reader, the only way to become a child of God – a Christian – is to repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus because He died in your place. God will credit Jesus’ righteousness to your account because your sins have been placed on Him.

If you are a Christian parent or grandparent, you are responsible for leading your children to faith in Christ. You also have the responsibility to help them grow in their walk with Him through teaching, godly example, and praying for and with them. Make sure they’re not assuming they are Christians based on your profession of faith. We each have to have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, based on our profession.

Dear parent, ensure your children understand this right from the start; don’t just take them to church and Christian gatherings, assuming they’ll automatically understand. Help them understand who God says they are and the need to have a personal relationship with Him through Christ. Help them know that when it comes to accountability, they are on their own; they won’t come before God as a member of a group, family, or any other way besides individually.

“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Corinthians 5:10). (Emphasis mine).

WHAT SORROW AWAITS THE WORLD

The title suggests there's trouble ahead for those who commit wrongdoing. In Matthew 18:7, Jesus said to His disciples, "What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting." Just before Jesus made the statement, He had answered the disciples' question about who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus centered His response to their question around a little child—to welcome a little child on Jesus' behalf is to accept Him, but causing a child to fall into sin is asking for trouble (see verse 6). So, causing another person to sin is problematic.

So, how does the world tempt people to sin? The people tempted to sin are not only adults; children are also in the mix. Even school textbooks are teaching questionable topics as fact. Have you watched the news lately? If not, maybe you should.

The internet is an excellent tool for the most part, but it is also a source of evil. It has all kinds of information on how to make weapons, murder and get away with it, and trick innocent children into doing all kinds of evil. The movies and television shows are no different; many of these are filled with profanity, pornography, and the like.

The world has come out boldly against God and His Word, saying it's okay to abort the unborn child for any and all reasons, regardless of its gestation, even all the way to full term. It also says people can decide what gender they'd like to be and make changes to be what they want. Oh, and a man can marry another man, and so can a woman marry another woman. Children are being indoctrinated to do likewise. There was a time when people who behaved that way did it privately, but now society has bought into the idea so much that it's accepted as usual. Woe to the world!   

Christians who speak against it are labeled as intolerant. Still, God says, "What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter" (Isaiah 5:20). The point is, whatever God says is wrong is wrong, no matter what the world calls it or says about it.

Why was the world during Noah's time destroyed by a flood? Because the people did not take Noah's warning to repent earnestly (see 2 Peter 2:5), why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? "God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people" (2 Peter 2:6). And why is the world as we know it now going to be destroyed by fire? It is to cleanse it from evil.

The world is on a downward spiral, and if it doesn't wake up, the predicted woe will happen: "The day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment" (2 Peter 3:10). Are you ready for this? Understand that the world includes people and everything in it, so you will be included if you don't repent. Would you like to escape this horror? There's only one way!

Jesus Christ bore the punishment we deserve for being sinners when He died and rose again. If you'd like to escape the punishment God will unleash on the world, you must call on God today (the sooner, the better) for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible expresses it like this: "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Also, in the book of Romans, we are told, "God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood" (Romans 3:25).

If you put your faith in Jesus, you will be spared the punishment you deserve because Jesus was punished on your behalf. However, if you choose not to, you will pay for your own sin; understand that hell is forever for non-penitent sinners, just like heaven is forever for penitent sinners. Which place appeals to you? Choose Jesus now, and have the peace and assurance that God will never hold your sins against you because it's already been held against Jesus.

Are you still thinking about this? Don't think too long, because time is running out!